Hammers boss gets FA charge

West Ham manager Avram Grant has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association following comments he made about match official Mike Jones after his side's 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Stoke at the weekend.

Grant was left disappointed after seeing his side crash out of the competition at the quarter-final stage, and claimed afterwards that the Hammers should have been awarded a penalty in the second half.

The former Chelsea boss has until 4pm on March 21 to respond to the charge.

After the match Grant hit out at Jones' handling of the second half, which began with Stoke being awarded a penalty just 13 seconds after the restart.

Matthew Etherington missed the spot-kick but Grant intimated he felt that Jones had been swayed by the home fans after Frederic Piquionne appeared to handle in the lead-up to the Hammers' opener in the first half.

"I think maybe this is the reason the referee started the second half very strange," Grant said of Stoke's penalty award.

"Until they scored (the second) goal he gave fouls, a penalty, everything for them.

"It was a penalty for us at the end which he didn't give. What happened with (James) Tomkins was more bushido (the Japanese code of conduct for samurai warriors).

"Maybe he felt a little bit guilty. I think it was the effect of the first goal for us."

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